An investigation has revealed how punters could be 'one knock on the door away' from being exposed for using a 'Dodgy Fire Stick'.

The use of Fire Sticks and other modified devices has increased in recent years due to a number of factors, including the rising subscription costs linked to rights holders such as Sky Sports and TNT Sports.

The Premier League shut down or blocked a combined 660,000 social media and website live streams last season, according to The Athletic.

In fact, around 59 per cent of UK Fire Stick owners admit to using the device to watch illegal streams, but the Premier League and intelligence-led investigation service FACT, amongst others, are taking a stand.

For the past decade, the police and specialist private investigators, as well as TV rights holders, have been working behind the scenes to combat digital piracy.

Nine per cent of the UK’s adult population had watched sport through an illegal stream in the six months up to October 2025. Image credit: Getty

An investigation by The Daily Mail has shed light on the crackdown after speaking to insiders who understand the severity of the situation, as well as how they can track users who illegally stream sport.

The intelligence-led investigation service FACT, which represents the UK’s pay-TV broadcasters and rights owners, are said to be 'aggressive' in its strategy.

"You could liken us to a mini police force in that we are intelligence led," said FACT chairman Kieron Sharp.

"We do our own computer forensics," he added. "When we do a job with the police, and the computers are seized from whichever place has been raided, we take the computer forensic work on and provide that as evidence back to the police."

FACT has built bespoke software and algorithms that sift through social media platforms such as Facebook, as well as message logs and device storage, for red flags.

On Facebook, for example, a simple search for a login to access illegal sports streaming will bring up hundreds of posts. The report namedrops a group called Fire Stick Streaming, which has 3,000 members.

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One advert, which has many replies, reads: "I have worldwide 24,000 channels with all the sports channels. You download the app on the device, I’ll send you guidelines and then I’ll send you username and password URL to get the login info for app."

More fans are turning to illegal streaming. Image credit: Getty

Another investigator also says they use search terms they know will appear, which could be the stream name, the subscription title and admin usernames. They will then let the machine surface the so-called 'needles in the haystack'.

"A common search term is ‘illegal’," he added. "You would be surprised by how many suspects message others with phrases like, 'This is illegal', or 'Or we need be careful as it’s illegal'.’

Sharp explained the situation further, adding: "The importance of doing word searching is that if you seize a computer and there's like three terabytes of data on it, you're never going to search the whole computer. You're only going to search the computer for your terms.

"You're never going to know what's fully on it. So you have to concentrate on the evidence. You'll know the name of the stream, the name of the subscription they're selling, the names of the people involved. You might even have a customer database."

A single seized device can quickly reveal resellers, suppliers and customer lists, which can then lead to police raids.

You can read the investigation in full here.

Premier League reveal 'serious threat' to fans who illegally stream matches

Earlier this year, the Premier League sent a stark warning to those who break the rules when it comes to streaming.

“Those who choose to consume Premier League matches through illegal streams risk more than just poor viewing quality,” a spokesperson from the league said.

“They expose themselves to serious threats, including malicious viruses that can steal personal data, hijack devices and lead to identity theft and financial fraud. Investigations and prosecutions have also repeatedly uncovered the links between piracy operations and wider serious criminal activity.”